


Little Bundle Bereft of Joy

by ChatterboxAngel



Series: Little Bundle Bereft of Joy [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Feels, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Misunderstood Pack Dynamics, Non-subtle Flirting, Past Kate Argent/Derek Hale, Pre-Slash, Set after Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 04:16:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChatterboxAngel/pseuds/ChatterboxAngel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unbeknownst to Derek, Kate got pregnant before she murdered almost his entire family. And if Kate Argent was a bad aunt to a niece she loved, imagine how horrible a mother she'd been to a daughter she could barely tolerate. Derek isn't sure what to expect when he first learns he has a daughter, but he's kind of just hoping she doesn't completely hate his guts.</p><p>This is the story of their first day together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Little Bundle Bereft of Joy

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of its character. All original characters are mine. Any resemblance to persons real or fictional is entirely coincidental.
> 
> Possible trigger warnings at the end - all psychological and school related

“Hello Mr. Hale. My name is Elizabeth Blackthorn, secretary at St. Helen’s Boarding School for girls. You are a very difficult man to get a hold of.”

Derek raised his eyebrow in bemusement as he listened to the speaker on the other side of the line. Those certainly had not been the words he had been expecting to hear when answering the number to some boarding school up in Oregon. He had assumed it was a wrong number and was going to tell them as such, but then, the female had spoken and, rather obviously, known exactly who he was. Or at the very least, she had definitely meant to call him.

“I wasn’t aware anyone was that desperate to contact me,” Derek said in the least sarcastic voice he could muster. Normally, he wouldn’t have cared, but today, he was tired and had no desire to deal with an annoyed female, even if it was just over the phone.

“Well, normally we would contact Ms. Argent as she is Hannah’s primary guardian,” the school secretary said in a voice that was attempting to sound patient, but to any werewolf, it would have been patently obvious that she was very annoyed. “However when we called her last place of residence, we were informed that she has passed on. Since you never showed up for Hannah, we had to find a way to contact you. As much as we love children here, we simply cannot allow them to remain all summer. Therefore, I would like to know when you will be able to come pick up your daughter.”

“My daughter?” Derek asked in a voice so calm that it was borderline terrifying. He had stopped moving, his posture so rigid he looked like a statue and the tension in the room was suddenly so thick it might as well have been a brick wall, and he was alone. If he hadn’t known instinctively how important it was for him to keep his head together for this conversation, he suspected that his voice would have frozen from the shock as well. “Ms. Argent never deemed to inform me that I have a daughter, much less one that is attending your boarding school.”

“You are listed on file as the father,” she told him, in a matter of fact tone. “We cannot release her to anyone but you. If you want to do a paternity test, you will have to do it on your own time. We simply cannot keep her here. So, either you come get her, or we contact the police and put her in foster care.”

“When was she born?” Derek asked with a groan, knowing he could never abandon the child like that if she really was his. He wasn’t that kind of man, even if he did hate the child’s mother with his entire being. Derek wouldn’t let the girl...his daughter suffer for what her mother did.

“December 11,” the secretary answered. “She turned six last winter.”

Derek wasn’t sure whether to laugh at the irony or cry for so many other reasons. Because based on the time he and Kate had been sexually active, it was so very possible that this Hannah really was his daughter, and he had never smelt any evidence that suggested Kate had slept around while they were together. In all likelihood, Derek had just been informed by a complete stranger that he had a six year old daughter.

“I can come pick her up today,” Derek replied as he ran his free hand through his hair, letting out another sigh. He wasn’t ready to be a father, but he doubted anyone who suddenly found themselves in the same situation would be. However, he was thankful that, at the very least, he would be able to take care of her financially. Derek would forever mourn the loss his entire family. Even now, the mere thought of what had happened tore his heart in half, but the insurance money that had finally come through, only after the police had officially written Kate Argent down as the arsonist and closed the case, would allow him to take care of all Hannah’s needs. “It will take me several hours to get there.”

“That’s fine,” she informed him. “We will have Hannah packed and ready to go by this afternoon. I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Hale.” Then, she hung up the phone without even saying good-bye as though she were afraid that Derek would change his mind. Sighing, the alpha hung up his phone and headed back out of his apartment. If he was going to get to the boarding school before dark and not keep his daughter waiting longer than necessary, he needed to head out as soon as possible. But Derek really didn’t feel like he could do this on his own. If nothing else, he needed moral support, but his pack was comprised of a homicidal uncle and a bunch of teenagers who each had at least one deep psychological issue. Who should he ask to go with him?

He loved his pack, really, he did, but they had yet to learn to completely control their wolves. He didn’t want them instinctually reacting to his almost guaranteed to volatile emotions when they reached the school. Well, Isaac was pretty close to having as total control over his wolf as any were could, but Derek wasn’t ready to trust him with something of this magnitude yet. Scott was automatically off the list because he was dating Allison Argent, and he was not letting a single member of Kate’s family near Hannah until he’d had a decent amount of time alone with her. He wasn’t sure what vitriol Kate had been spewing about him to his daughter for the last six years, but he figured his chances of trying to make her not hate him were far better if the Argents weren’t around. Not to mention, Derek wasn’t sure how trustworthy Scott was after that stunt he pulled with Gerard Argent. Not that it wasn’t a good plan, but…

So, that whittled down the list of people he semi-trusted to Stiles and Deaton. And of those two, only Stiles was pack. Derek didn’t know how, or when, it had happened, but somewhere along the line of them constantly trading favors in saving each other’s lives, his wolf had accepted Stiles as a member of his pack. It had taken some time for his human side to catch up, but eventually, Derek had reconciled himself with the fact that his wolf was, as always, right. At least to himself, Derek was able to admit he considered Stiles to be a part of his pack.

Of course, he hadn’t told the human teen any of this. Stiles was not only Scott’s best friend, but since the beginning, he could barely stand Derek on the best of days. Their relationship had gotten better as of late, but Stiles would no doubt choose Scott’s pack over his any day. And Derek wasn’t ready to face that rejection quite yet. So, he was going to ask the younger man to come as emotional support as a sometimes ally and a sort of…maybe friend. If nothing else, taking Stiles along would minimize the chances of awkward silences.

~~~

“Let me get this straight,” Stiles said with no small amount of shock in his voice as he stared at Derek. He hadn’t been sure what to expect when he saw the black Camaro pull into his driveway late in the morning the day after his summer break started, but this certainly wasn’t it. “You’re asking me to sit in a car with you for five hours – one way – to go pick up your six-year-old daughter, who you didn’t know existed until half an hour ago, from some boarding school in Oregon?”

“Yes,” Derek replied as he stared at the ground and forced himself not to growl. It wasn’t Stiles’s fault that he was currently pissed of at almost the whole world, and he didn’t think threatening / annoying the teen would be a good way to get him to agree to the favor.

“Ok, just gimme a minute,” Stiles said as he ran upstairs to grab a clean hoodie and the car charger for his cell phone. After scribbling a quick note to his dad, Stiles locked the door behind him and went to stand on the passenger side of the Camaro, where he stood staring expectantly as Derek.

And Derek stared right back, saying nothing. He was kind of glaring at Stiles, but that was pretty much Derek’s default or neutral expression, so Stiles didn’t read too much into it. The odd staring and silence stretched out between them until Stiles sighted, deciding to answer the question that Derek was too…well Derek to ask.

“No, I am not going to ask for more details,” Stiles said with a roll of his eyes. “Not that it would do much good. I imagine there’s not that much more you can tell me anyway. I’m not going to make you talk about your feelings. You’ve probably got enough of that floating around in your head to fill several books; I’m not going to add to that. And I’m not going to ask how you happen to have a six-year-old daughter when you’re only twenty-three. I have a very overactive imagination that has already happily provided several scenarios that are probably closer to and farther from the truth than you care to tell me.”

“What I am going to do is sit in a car with a broody werewolf for ten hours because right now, he needs a friend. I’ll ramble on and on about random things you probably won’t listen to. Possibly play Angry Birds or surf the internet or something on my phone, hence the charger. And generally, just be there in case…”

“Stiles,” Derek half-growled from the driver’s side, effectively cutting off the human’s rapidly degenerating rambling. However, the silence from Stiles wasn’t going to last very long, because he was already getting ready to go on an indignant rant about growling at the people who were helping you, but he was stopped by the werewolf’s next words. “Thank you.”

“Oh, yeah,” Stiles sputtered out awkwardly as he attempted to shrug in a nonchalant way but the movement ended up looking like a spastic sort of wiggle. “You’re welcome. No problem. Happy to do it. No worries. I got time. We should get going though. You know, head out. Hit the road.”

With an expression on his face that suggested he was unsure of whether to hit Stiles or just leave him behind, Derek got into the Camaro and unlocked the door for Stiles.

The next several hours were pretty much what Stiles had predicted. Derek remained mostly silent as Stiles prattled on about movies or comics or whatever else his mind conjured up, and when he ran out of breath or needed to take a break from non-stop babbling, the radio was turned on to combat what would have otherwise been a very tense silence. During those times, Stiles would just play around with his phone.

The only thing that had somewhat surprised Stiles occurred about the halfway point in their route. His stomach had rumbled, rather loudly, telling him it was hungry and well over an hour passed its normal feeding time. In short, the stomach was not happy. Stiles blushed, turned to look out at the suddenly very interesting tunnel wall outside his passenger window, and hoped that Derek would just let him be embarrassed in silence. Because there was no way he wouldn’t have heard the rumble, even if he’d been limited by normal human hearing.

However, all the werewolf did was exit on the very next off ramp and pulled into the first fast food place they found. Without a word, Derek got out of the car, and Stiles followed behind like a puppy. He was further surprised when Derek let him order an ungodly amount of food, pushed the human aside, ordered for himself, and the paid for them both. The very pretty, very female cashier gave them a confusingly understanding smile, but Stiles decided to ignore it in the wake of free food. It was the best kind. He’d thanked Derek profusely, but the werewolf had merely shrugged and ate his meal in silence. And when Stiles had finished wolfing down his own portion, it was back on the road.

Now, they were standing in front of the infamous boarding school, and quite suddenly, Stiles was feeling very nervous. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. Coming hadn’t seemed like such a big deal when they were back in Beacon Hills, but with the idea of meeting little Hannah and her teachers?...principal?...school secretary? Stiles had no idea what he was supposed to do.

Derek must have heard his heart start to beat faster with the sudden nervousness, because that was the only explanation for the werewolf to grab hold of Stiles’s wrist out of the blue and attempt to smile reassuringly at him. Stiles said attempted, because it came out as more of a grimace. But it did its job, because he couldn’t stop himself from laughing at the expression on Derek’s face. The werewolf instantly let go his wrist and started glaring at Stiles, and that, okay that, made the human feel a little bad. Because he was supposed to be there offering moral support for Derek, not the other way around. So after he managed to calm himself down, Stiles offered his friend an apologetic smile, and asked, “Are you ready to go in?”

Derek didn’t say anything, simply nodded, and pushed the doors in front of them open. Stiles followed him inside.

~~~

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting you to bring your partner along. Although, it seems you’ve traded in for the younger model since we first spoke with Ms. Argent,” Elizabeth said, glancing between both Derek and Stiles appraisingly before radioing someone through her headset to bring Hannah to the front office. “Nevertheless, it is nice to finally meet you Mr. Hale and Mr…?”

“Stillinski,” Stiles managed to choke out as he felt Derek go rigid beside him. He wasn’t sure whether the lady in front of them was being judgmental, just lacked tact, or was the kind of person who liked to see how far she could push quote-em-quote polite conversation before someone called her on it. Seriously? Traded in for the younger model? Whatever her reason was, he felt highly uncomfortable. “My last name is Stillinski.”

“Well, it is good to meet you Mr. Stillinski,” the secretary said, finally seeming to notice Derek’s rather obvious shock. “No need to be so tense, Mr. Hale. Ms. Argent informed us the reason you two could not be together. Although it is unfortunate that Ms. Argent had to deal with the fact intercourse with her made you realize your homosexuality, we are equal-opportunity educators and do not judge a child based on their parent’s sexual orientation. So, don’t worry. We have treated Hannah just the same as every other student here.”

As Stiles started sputtering again, unable to form coherent words, he chanced a glance at Derek and saw that the werewolf’s expression had turned absolutely murderous. Dear God! Did this woman have no sense of self-preservation? They were probably mere seconds away from glowing red eyes, fangs, and really, really sharp claws unless Stiles did something. Floundering for any and all conversation topics that did not directly involve Kate Argent (seriously, this woman should know that even most non-werewolf, very human people don’t want to talk about their exes with complete strangers), Stiles started rambling, “So, where was Hannah before you called her here? What’s her favorite color? Favorite food? Do you know where she usually goes during the summer? How has she been doing in school? Have you told her about her mother yet?”

CRAP! Bad Stiles! BAD! That was a direct question about Kate Argent. He needed to redirect, but his brain-to-mouth filter wasn’t having it.

“I mean, how do you tell a six-year-old something like that? She must be devastated. Wait! Does she even know? Do we need to tell her? Oh crap! How are we supposed to do that? By the way, I’m not actually…”

“Mrs. Blackthorn,” a young and very stiff voiced called from across the room. “You ordered to have me brought to the office with all my things. Since Mother died, I’m assuming my father has arrived.”

Of all the things Stiles thought that might happen when first met Hannah, hearing her so casually mention the death of her mother was definitely not one of them. He really should’ve known the offspring of Derek Hale and Kate Argent wouldn’t be normal, but still… As his mouth dropped open in shock, the teenager looked over to where the young girl’s voice had come from, and as soon as he saw her, there was no doubt in his mind that she was Derek’s daughter. On the way over, Derek had very briefly mentioned that, even though there was no guarantee of it, she was most likely his, and now Stiles knew for sure.

It was like someone had taken Kate Argent and Derek Hale, smooshed them together, and shrunken them into the little girl standing before them. Often times, children looked more similar to one parent than the other, but Hannah’s appearance was split pretty much down the middle. Her face looked almost exactly like it belonged on a young Kate with just a bit of Derek pushed in, but all her coloring was Derek. Her long curly hair was jet black, her eyes were green, and her skin tone, like Derek’s, was paler than Kate’s had been.

But beyond that were her mannerisms. Her stance, the way she held herself, and how she moved were all Kate (probably because she’d grown up watching her move). But her expression, that was all Derek. As she stared at Elizabeth Blackthorn, Hannah had an angry neutral expression on her face that wished death upon the person holding their gaze while attempting to look somewhat polite. He’d seen the exact same face on Derek any number of times. Moreover, despite her young age, her eyes spoke of the same sadness he’d sometimes seen in Derek’s eyes, and damn did that feel like a punch in Stiles’s gut. Unsure how to react, Stiles looked back at Derek to see a stony expression on his face that he would not have been able to read if he hadn’t spent the last year trying to figure out what the werewolf’s different expressions meant. As it was, Stiles could only see that Derek had already fallen in love with his little girl and was probably planning murder on this school for the expression on her face and grief in her eyes.

As Derek stared at his precious little girl, it was like no one else in the world existed for a few moments. After hearing her voice for the first time, Derek’s heart had skipped a beat, and the second he saw her, the iron wall around his heart just melted away. He knew without a doubt that Hannah was his daughter, and he already loved her with all his heart. Derek wanted nothing more than to go up and hug her, but he couldn’t. He hadn’t even known she existed for six years; she probably hated him, and he had no idea how to even start making up for that.

But as he watched her, warmth, fondness, and love were not the only emotions that bloomed in his chest. Anger and sorrow were also woven through. Because those beautiful green eyes knew pain that no six-year-old should know. And Derek knew enough about pain to know that it was not new pain from her mother’s death. It was the slow growing kind that took years to accumulate. At this knowledge, the werewolf had to stop himself from growling and forced his eyes to remain their normal, human green. What the hell had they done to Hannah at this horrible school? And why had Kate forced her own daughter to live through it year after year?

“Good Hannah,” Elizabeth said with a predatory smile that forced the two males’ attention back on her. The younger one was obviously shocked and confused, but yummy Mr. Derek Hale had no change in facial expression. Well, his frown might have gotten a little deeper, but she couldn’t really tell. He’d been glaring since the moment he stepped foot into the building, but she didn't mind at all; anger was sexy on him. Too bad he was gay. “You remember our little chat about why your mommy and daddy couldn’t be together, right Hannah? Well, this is Derek Hale, your real father. And this is his partner, Mr. Stillinski – your second new daddy. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Hannah replied hollowly while Mr. Stillinski went back to gaping at her. Really, what kind of taste did Derek have? His partner looked barely legal and seemed to have some sort of brain damage. Well, the relationship probably wouldn’t last much longer anyway, with how young Mr. Stillinski was and with Hannah now in the picture. Maybe she could convince Derek to try for women at least one more time when he dropped Hannah off at the end of summer. Assuming that’s what he wanted to do…

“Now that she’s here, we have two last pieces of business to take care of,” Elizabeth said, returning her whole attention to Derek, smiling at him seductively, and ignoring Mr. Stillinski’s glare as he realized she had referred to Hannah as a piece of business. Really, it wasn’t her job to Molly-coddle children. 

“First, Ms. Argent left something for you in case of her untimely death. We have no idea what it is.” Though, it was not for lack of trying. The damn woman had sealed whatever it was in a solid metal box and welded the stupid thing shut. Elizabeth had no clue how she expected Derek to be able to open it, and it would forever irk her that they (meaning the school employees) had been unable to open it at all. Nevertheless, she picked it up off her desk and handed it to Derek, who took it without a word. She tried to let the touch linger, but he pulled his hand away too quickly for that.

“Second, we need to make arrangements for Hannah to be brought back at the end of summer. If you want, you can just drive her. But you can also arrange for her to be picked up at the nearest airport like Ms. Argent did a few times. It’s just a bit more expensive that way.”

“I don’t know that we’ll continue to need your services,” Derek said slowly. “Unlike Hannah’s…mother, I don’t move around a lot.”

“Well, let us know when you decide,” the secretary replied with one last flirtatious smile. “Just remember that the later the special arrangements are made, the more it costs.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Derek almost growled as he made his way over to Hannah and knelt down in front of her. Slowly, afraid to be rejected, Derek reached out a hand and cupped her cheek. He attempted to smile comfortingly, but he knew it looked more like a grimace. Fortunately, Hannah’s answering grimace made it seem like she understood what he had been trying to do. “Is this everything?”

“Um,” she said, suddenly looking hopeful, but his heart clenched at her expression, like she was afraid to hope. “I might’ve forgotten something.” She glanced at Blackthorn, the hope in her eyes being replaced by fear. The secretary did look like she was about to say something, but Stiles…(dear god was he ever grateful for his decision to bring the human motormouth)…Stiles beat her to it.

“No problem,” Stiles said with a bright smile as he made his way over, having not come over earlier out of respect for Derek’s need to have semi-private moment with his daughter. “I’ll come with you while Derek takes your stuff out to the car. He’s so strong that he can probably take it all in one trip.”

Nodding, Derek quickly kissed Hannah on the forehead before starting to gather her stuff, and Stiles grabbed hold of her hand, then told her to lead the way. With an expression on her face that even Stiles couldn’t identify, Hannah began pulling him through a series of turns in the hallways that would’ve gotten Stiles lost within a minute if he had been on his own. It was like a freaking maze.

When they finally reached their destination, it was definitely not what Stiles had been expecting. They were in a large room that was filled to the brim with toys, but something about it felt off. It took a moment for Stiles to figure out what was wrong. The room was too organized, too perfect. The toys were arranged as though an adult had placed them stylistically for a magazine photoshoot. No child would’ve been so meticulous about putting them on display. And the toys themselves were in pristine condition, as though, Stiles realized with a sinking heart, as though children had never played with them. The worst part of this whole scenario was Hannah standing next to him, wringing her hands nervously, and staring up at him with pleading eyes.

“We’re not allowed to have our own personal toys,” the little girl finally told him in a hushed whisper after he knelt down next to her. “But they never tell you until that you bring one here. ‘The lessons taught by pain are the ones that teach best.’ It was a couple of year ago during summer. Mother left me with the usual baby sitter, and she brought me a present. It wasn’t my birthday or anything. She was just being nice. I’d never been so happy…my first present. Then, I came back to school, and they took it seconds after I pulled it out of my suitcase. Mother said we could get it back once summer came. But then, she never even asked…”

At this point, Hannah was close to tears, but she wouldn’t let them fall. Stiles had a feeling (okay, he knew for a fact) that this poor little girl was used to holding them back, and his heart broke for her. Without a second thought, he enveloped Hannah in a hug and whispered in her ear, “If I promise we can get out of here with it, would you trust me?”

To Stiles’s surprise and pleasure, Hannah nodded instantly.

“Which one is yours?” he asked gently, and Hannah pulled away just enough to point at a medium-sized teddy bear. It was a basic brown bear – fuzzy, with a pink bow wrapped around it’s neck, but it was somehow different from the rest, just a little more worn around the edges, just a little bit dirtier. Hannah hadn’t owned it for a very long time before it was taken from her, but it was obviously very loved and fairly well taken care of for her age. He really didn’t want to think about why a four-year-old would feel the need to take such good care of a simple toy (first ever present…). Forcing back the scowl that wanted to emerge, Stiles actually managed to smile reassuringly as he very hesitantly pulled away from the hug, immensely grateful that he had a habit of wearing hoodies.

He picked up the teddy bear very carefully and handed it to Hannah, who looked like all her lifetime’s worth of Christmases had come at once. Then, he rearranged the other stuffed animals that had been around it, so that it looked like nothing had been taken away. Fingers crossed, he knelt back down next to Hannah and began whispering in her ear once more.

“It’s going to get a little bit squished…” Stiles said hesitantly as he unzipped his hoodie. “But if we hide your bear in here and you let me carry you out, they’ll never know we took it.” Hannah was stuffing her bear under his hoodie and trying to yank the zipper up before the words were done leaving his mouth.

A few minutes later, Stiles was holding a seemingly asleep Hannah in his arms as he walked through the front office toward the door. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, and her head was buried in his right shoulder. He had been right about the teddy bear; while Hannah was held over the lump, it wasn't even slightly visible.

"So, what did little Ms. Hannah forget?" Elizabeth Blackthorn asked, obviously checking his pockets for evidence of them holding some unspecified object.

"Oh, it was nothing,' Stiles replied with a wide smile. "She just wanted to double check her room. Hannah really did have everything packed already."

"Oh," the secretary replied, a scary smile making its way onto her face. "I'm so sorry for the trouble she's caused you." Her expression made it clear that she was going to make sure Hannah was very sorry for any imagined trouble when she returned in the fall. It took everything Stiles had to resist sticking his tongue out at or mouthing off to the woman, letting her know exactly what he thought of her, this damn school, and how there was no chance in Hell that Hannah would ever be stepping foot in this place again.

But his promise with the little girl was far more important. So, Stiles held his tongue and kept the polite smile in place as he walked out saying, "Oh, it was no trouble at all. We're really not in any hurry. It was nice to meet you Mrs. Blackthorn."

As soon as the door shut behind him, the human teenager ran as fast as he could toward the Camaro, and ignoring how cramped it was, he slid into the back seat with Hannah. Stiles buckled both of them in as quickly as possible and didn't wait to pull out the teddy bear before saying, "Derek, drive!"

And without so much as growling or glaring at Stiles, Derek immediately stomped on the gas. They were out of the parking lot in seconds, and everyone in the car breathed out a collective sigh of relief. Stiles didn't know whether it was due to the enormity of the situation or not, but the Alpha didn't call the teen out for basically giving him a command. For that, Stiles was grateful. Even if he paid for it later, it was better for Hannah that Derek remain calm.

"Stiles," the werewolf's voice growled out, so maybe Stiles had spoken too soon...but that was Derek's normal growl (kind of like how his default expression was angry)...so maybe not. "What is that weird lump in your clothes?"

"A formerly confiscated but currently liberated teddy bear!" Stiles answered with a triumphant grin as he unzipped his hoodie, pulled out the bear, and handed it to Hannah. "Apparently, personal toys are not allowed at that school, and Kate didn't deem it necessary to retrieve her daughter's toy."

"Of course not." Ah. There was Derek's truly pissed off growl. But as he looked back at Hannah in the rear-view mirror, his expression softened. She was cradling the teddy bear to her chest with a heartbreakingly happy smile, and she looked like she might cry tears of relief. Stiles couldn't help himself, he reached over and hugged her.

"So, are you and Father really together?" Hannah asked all of a sudden, but she didn't pull away from the hug. Rather, she actually relaxed further into his arms.

"Why do you ask that?" Stiles asked as he watched Derek's grip tighten on the steering wheel. He had no idea how the werewolf wanted to handle this, but he also didn't know how they could possible pretend to be together for Hannah's sake once back in Beacon Hills.

"Because Mother used to lie a lot," Hannah answered with a shrug. "And Mrs. Blackthorn pretty much just assumed you were together and didn't really give you a chance to confirm or deny it."

"No, we're not actually together," Derek said after several minutes of tense silence, choosing not to comment on the matter of gender. No matter what Elizabeth Blackthorn or Kate Argent had already told Hannah, the werewolf was not going to force his six-year-old daughter to wonder about such things. If she specifically asked more details, he would worry later. "Stiles is just a really good friend."

"Is he pack then, Father?" Hannah persisted. Both males tensed at that question, fully aware of the implications of it. Of course, Kate Argent would tell her only daughter about werewolves. How else would she grow up to be the perfect little hunter?

As he did his best to focus on the road in front of him, Derek wondered what the hell he was going to tell his daughter. He didn't want to lie to her, not when she had pretty much just told them that Kate did it all the time. And he wanted her to trust him. But on the other hand, he really didn't want Stiles to know the truth. Socially awkward as the teen was, he would no doubt tone down his reaction with Hannah there, but if he admitted to his feelings on the matter, they would have to talk about it eventually. Another bout of tense silence passed as the minutes ticked by, and the werewolf finally made his decision.

"Yes," Derek said sighing in defeat. "I consider him an important member of my pack." He flinched as Stiles jolted upright in shock and started staring at Derek as though he had grown a second head. Unable to meet the very confused teen's gaze, even though it was just through the mirror, Derek gave a helpless sort of shrug and willed Stiles not to say anything to the contrary. For once, the teen remained silent, and for that, Derek was extraordinarily grateful.

"Cool," Hannah said as her smile brightened, too content with her new family and situation to notice the sudden shift in tension around her. "It all makes sense now. Hey, Father..."

"You don't have to call me that," Derek cut off whatever question she was about to ask. He didn't like how stiff and formal it sounded. Hannah was his daughter. He wanted to be her dad, not her drill sergeant. "I mean, you can if you want..." he felt hesitant now. Maybe she didn't want to call him less formally. Maybe he didn't deserve it. "But you don't have to."

Wow. That sounded desperate, even to his own ears, and he obviously wasn't the only one who noticed. Because Stiles was no longer looking at him with confusion and frustration. Those two emotions in his gaze had been replaced by compassion and sympathy.

"Mother always made me..." Hannah began. She sounded nervous again, like she had in the school toy room, like she was afraid this was all too good to be true. "I called her Mama once, and she got really angry. May I call you Papa? Please?"

"Of course you can, honey," Derek said with a small smile. But, apparently Derek had already messed up this father thing, because Hannah burst into tears. Alarmed, he pulled off to the side of the road immediately, flew out of the car, and pulled the crying girl into his arms. As he held her in one arm, he rubbed her back with his free hand and tried to calm her down enough to tell him what was wrong.

"Papa," she hiccuped softly through her tears. "Do you love me?"

"Of course I do," Derek said, confused at the question. “Hannah, honey, I loved you the moment I laid eyes on you."

If the werewolf had hoped for even a moment that those words would help calm her down, that hope would have been in vain. Because as soon as he finished speaking, Hannah started bawling even louder, tears pouring down her face faster. As he continued to rub her back, Derek cast a look of wild desperation at Stiles, but the teen looked just as confused and helpless as Derek felt. Eventually, though, Stiles did climb out of the car and walk toward the pair. Hesitantly pressing himself against Derek near where Hannah was, the teen very awkwardly placed an arm around the werewolf in a really weird half-hug to sandwich the crying girl between them, and he raised his other hand to rest on Hannah's head comfortingly...he hoped. They stayed in that position until her cries finally quieted into nothingness.

Once Hannah was no longer crying, the awkward tension between Stiles and Derek increased tenfold, but neither pulled back from the half-hug that had the little girl squished between them. Neither wanted to cause her any further anxiety or give her yet another reason to cry. So, they stood there silently until Hannah raised her head, and when her bright green eyes locked with Derek’s, she said, “Papa, I love you too.”

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, Derek managed a smile as he pulled his daughter into an even tighter hug, ignoring the fact that this pulled Stiles much closer as well. Several somewhat peaceful seconds passed before Stiles started squirming just a bit. Realizing exactly what he had just done and how uncomfortable the human teen must be feeling, Derek gently untangled them as he shot an apologetic look at Stiles, who just shrugged like it was no big deal. Derek could see the lines of tension in his shoulders, but it wasn’t exactly something they could discuss right at the moment.

“So, are you okay now?” the werewolf asked as he hoisted his daughter up in his arms so that they were face to face. “Can you tell me what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I’m just really, really happy,” Hannah gasped out, slightly out of breath due to having cried for so long. “Well, a little sad, but right now, mostly happy. Mother never told me she loved me. I don’t know that she ever actually did love me, not after sending me to that school for so many years. And she said you hated her, that you would probably hate me. So…” She left the rest of it unsaid, but it was abundantly clear that she had expected to receive no more affection from her father than she had gotten from her mother.

“Well, she was wrong about me hating you,” Derek said, as now was probably the worst time possible to comment on his own relationship with Kate Argent. He really didn’t want to think about the fact that Hannah would probably want details someday. “I love you, Hannah.”

“I know, Papa,” she said, getting one last hug before Derek put her down. Glancing back at the Camaro, he mentally cringed away from the offer he was about to make, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to make it. After all, Stiles was a perfectly capable driver; it wasn’t the teen’s fault that his Jeep was constantly being beat up by the supernatural. Well, it was partially his fault for always getting involved, but that was neither here nor there at the moment. The point was that Hannah meant far more to him than his possessiveness toward any car.

“Stiles, could you,” he was about to ask the teen to drive the Camaro so he could squeeze into the back with Hannah, but he never got the chance.

“Hey Hannah,” Stiles was leaning over, hands on his knees, to bring himself down to the little girl’s level. “Would you like to ride in the front seat with you dad?”

“Don’t be silly,” Hannah puffed out. Derek smiled when she did so; she was too adorable for her own good. How could Kate not have loved her? “You’re too tall to be cramped back there. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” both Stiles and Derek asked at the same time, causing Hannah to giggle. It was the first time she’d done so in front of them, and Derek felt his heart melt even more as he listened to the beautiful sound.

“I’m sure,” she replied, smile remaining firmly in place. “Besides, I have Teddy.”

Once they were piled back into the car, Derek got back on the road and was back to wondering what the hell they were supposed to talk about for the next five hours, especially after Hannah’s emotional outburst. Because as much as he wanted to get to know his daughter and find out exactly what had gone out at that horrible school, he wanted to give her his full attention when they talked about that stuff, and he couldn’t do that while driving. But he was crap at casual chit-chat, and his mind was drawing a complete blank for any appropriate conversation topics. Man, he was pathetic. However, Stiles was exactly the opposite, and after five minutes, he was off on a tangent about some comic book.

For the next three hours, Stiles and Hannah (well mostly Stiles) were discussing the apparently very complex world of comic books. His daughter didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation, but she did listen with rapt attention, especially after Stiles promised to lend her some (age-appropriate ones Stiles had assured Derek after the werewolf had growled at him). He wasn’t too sure how he felt about the fact that Hannah, with Stiles influence, was certain to grow up to be a geek, but he wasn’t going to stop it. Not when she looked so happy that she was getting so much positive attention from an adult. At least, he figured that Stiles seemed like an adult to her since she was so little. And at any rate, it wasn’t the worst hobby to have, and he was more than capable of protecting her from anyone dumb enough to tease her for her interests.

When they were just over a little halfway back to Beacon Hills, both Hannah’s and Stiles’s stomachs started growling at about the same time. Without a second thought on the matter, Derek took the next off ramp that had food advertisements. It pained Derek to do so, but he forced himself to bypass the diners and pull into a fast food restaurant. Although he wanted to treat his daughter well and really didn't want his first mean with her to be so cheap, he was aware that, despite it being summer time, Stiles must have a curfew, and fast food would be infinitely quicker than any sit down restaurant. However, he really need not have worried about disappointing Hannah, because as soon as he pulled into the first McDonald’s he spotted, her eyes became alight with obvious excitement.

Smiling at the excitement in her gaze, Derek lifted her out of the backseat, but instantly noticed that she had left her teddy bear there. He also noticed that she was staring at it longingly, like she was afraid if she left it that it would be gone when she got back. There were about a million normal parent-type things he could say, like how it would get dirty if brought in or that she was old enough to go inside without her teddy bear. But Derek didn’t care if she got it dirty, because he could always clean it. And Hannah was already far older than any six-year-old should ever be, and he was going to do his best to giver her the childhood that Kate had deprived her of thus far. So when Stiles came over from the passenger’s side, Derek passed Hannah over to him and reached into the back to grab the teddy bear. When he handed it to Hannah, her face lit up with joy, and that was worth any little extra bit of scrubbing.

Once inside McDonald’s, Derek told the other two to order whatever they wanted. Hannah was content with two different types of Happy Meals, but Stiles ordered so much that, if he hadn’t known any better, Derek would think the teen hadn’t eaten all day. It was kind of funny, but beyond that, the werewolf didn’t really care about how much Stiles had ordered. Smiling at his dinner companions once more before Hannah ran off with Stiles to get their drinks, Derek turned to order about the same amount of food as Stiles, because even though he wasn’t a teenager, he was a werewolf with a very high metabolic rate.

“You daughter is absolutely adorable,” the cashier said as she started punching in his order.

“Thank you,” Derek replied after she had told him his total and he’d handed her some cash, fighting the urge to not frown. Of course, she wanted to engage in chit-chat, which was the last thing he wanted. He’d smelled her interest in him as soon as they’d walked in the door, and in all honesty, Derek had been hoping that the cashier would be like Elizabeth Blackthorn and assume that Stiles was his boyfriend. Then, he wouldn’t have to deal with her…politely. That was the kicker. He had to be polite. He was trying to set a good example for Hannah.

“But your boyfriend seems awfully young to have taken on such a huge responsibility with you,” the girl (Carmen, according to her nametag) said, trying to sound sympathetic and understanding. But it was obvious that she was fishing for any information that hinted that she might have a chance, and her scent made it quite clear that she didn’t actually care if Stiles was his boyfriend. She’d still hit on him. Carmen wanted in Derek’s pants that badly. “It must be hard for him, having to share her with her mother.”

“Her mother died very recently,” Derek said, lowering his voice. It would sound like he was sad, and that was fine. It was somehow easier not to growl when his volume was lower. “It is very fortunate that Hannah and Stiles took to each other very quickly.”

“Sounds like everything turned out for the best then,” Carmen said with a bright smile, her heart skipping over the obvious lie. Quite reluctantly, she handed over his change and was forced to watch him walk away without another word as she had no other excuses to keep him there and talking.

Quickly getting himself some ice-cold water at the soda fountain, Derek scanned the restaurant for Hannah and Stiles and was unsurprised to find them at the table nearest to the play area. Well, he certainly wasn’t going to stop his daughter from running around. It may yet be a few years until it became clear whether she was a werewolf, but she would have more stamina than the average human child either way. Casting the quickest, most overt glance as he could back at Carmen, Derek noticed that she was still staring at him with an extreme intensity. Sighing, the werewolf walked up behind Stiles and hoped the brown-haired teen would continue today’s streak of not freaking out at stuff Derek was doing.

“Make sure she doesn’t drink too much soda,” Derek leaned over to whisper this right in Stiles ear, hoping he would assume that Derek had done it so that Hannah wouldn’t hear him. For his part, Stiles jerked a little bit in surprise, but other than that, he just smiled indulgently, like Derek worrying about his daughter’s soda intake was the cutest thing in the world. Annoyed at that, the werewolf growled low in his throat, but Stiles’s smile just transformed into a smirk.

And apparently deciding that whispering in each other’s ears was an okay thing now, the human turned his own head to say to Derek, “We need to talk about the pack thing.”

His entire body tensed at those words, but Derek forced himself to remain calm. He definitely didn’t want to talk about that, but at least, those words explained why Stiles had decided to copy him. That was definitely a conversation that Hannah shouldn’t overhear, but it was one that would take a while and one that, at any rate, should not be held in public. So, he growled out one more word in a tone of finality before pulling away and sitting down next to Hannah on the other side of the table. “Later.”

“Whatever you say Sourwolf,” Stiles said, keeping the smirk on his face so that Hannah wouldn’t notice anything had changed as she had started staring at them with a look of innocent inquisitiveness on her face.

As he sat down, Derek cast one last look at Carmen, who scent was now an odd mix of frustration and determination, and saw that she was scribbling what Derek was sure was her phone number on the receipt. Sighing at the girl’s inability to give up despite his obvious disinterest, the werewolf turned, asked Hannah about where she’d gotten her teddy bear, and was able to relax a little as he listened to her describe her kind baby-sitter in great detail. When his name was called for their order, Derek went up and shoved the receipt in his pocket immediately without bothering to look at it as a sort of silent message to Carmen to not get her hopes up. But as he grabbed the food and walked back, he still felt his eyes on her, and she smelled of satisfaction. Apparently, she was happy that it was just on his person. Dear Mother Alpha, did this girl not know how to take silent hints? He already knew for a fact that his whispered conversations with Stiles had convinced her that they were a couple. Did he look like the kind of guy who would cheat or something?

Throughout the rest of the meal, Derek did his level best to ignore Carmen and concentrate on his daughter, who switched between randomly running off to play and babbling happily about her summers with the kind baby-sitter while eating. He thought she had said the baby-sitter’s name…Ally. Yeah, that sounded right. Hannah seemed to know that now was not the time for heavy conversation, and Derek’s heart wept with the knowledge that his barely six-year-old daughter was mature enough to sense that.

Anyway, they finished eating pretty quickly, and Stiles went to watch Hannah zoom around the play structure one last time before getting on the road. When Derek went to throw away the trash, he made sure that Carmen was watching before very deliberately pulling the receipt out of his pocket and tossing it in the garbage bin without looking at it. He could smell the disappointment wash over her, but he didn’t wait around to see what she would do about it. Heading straight toward the play area, Derek scooped up Hannah from the end of the slide she had just finished going down backwards and flicked her on the nose. With a giggling Hannah in his arms, Derek followed Stiles out the front door trying not to ignore the smug satisfaction he felt from the knowledge that Carmen had finally gotten the fact that he had absolutely no interest in her.

The remainder of the their time in the car was much more subdued after dinner than before. It wasn’t long before the day caught up with Hannah, and she was yawning in the backseat. It wasn’t exactly comfortable enough for her to sleep back there, but she did doze a lot. Derek was never forthcoming with conversation, so he said nothing. And Stiles was forcing himself not to talk, because the one thing his brain kept wanting to bring up was basically a forbidden topic.

“Is it later yet?” Stiles had asked once it was clear that Hannah was as asleep as she could be in the backseat, but Derek had shaken his head no. So, Stiles let the subject drop. And while his ADHD meant that new possible conversation topics were introduced to his brain at a constant rate, he didn’t trust his brain-to-mouth filter to stay away from the pack thing. So in an enormous show of self-control, Stiles kept his mouth shut, but that didn’t stop his body from twitching with a sort of nervous anticipation.

So, the last hour to Beacon Hills was spent entirely in silence, and when they finally pulled into Derek’s driveway at about 10:30 pm, both males sagged in relief, almost desperate to escape the awkward tension. After a short, whispered conversation, it was decided that Stiles would carry Hannah and her teddy bear into the loft, and Derek would grab everything else. It would take only one trip, but sadly, his werewolf strength wasn’t the only reason for that. 

All of Hannah’s worldly possessions fit into two small suitcases and a duffel bag. She had nothing anywhere else, because Kate had only rented the necessary furniture and such for the summers they spent together. Kate hadn’t wanted to mess with packing up all of Hannah’s stuff every time she had to move, so she just didn’t bother. After the little girl had told them this, Derek started to hate Kate Argent even more, and given what the now dead hunter had already put him through, the alpha werewolf hadn’t believed it possible. But those feelings of hate intensified with every new sadness and mistreatment of Hannah he learned about. In fact, hearing about the mistreatment of his daughter was somehow actually worse than remembering the fate of the rest of his family.

Once they were inside, Hannah woke up long enough to change into her pajamas and get her good night hugs and kisses from both Stiles and Derek. She had seemed hesitant to ask for them, but at least, this time she looked more hopeful than scared. Then, she had fallen asleep about two seconds after Derek finished tucking her into his bed with her teddy, which left the two males standing alone in a living room that was rife with awkward tension after Derek returned from tucking Hannah in.

“Sooo,” Stiles started hesitantly, not really wanting to go home with everything still feeling unresolved but not sure how to go about actually starting this conversation.

“What time is your summer curfew?” Derek asked him, quickly cutting off whatever else he was about to say. The werewolf knew that this conversation (this conversation they really needed to have sooner than later) would take a while.

“Midnight,” Stiles replied.

“Okay,” Derek said, sighing just a little. “It’s later now.”

“Time to talk, huh?” Stiles started carefully, afraid to brush Derek the wrong way with this conversation. Not because he was afraid of the older man, because Stiles wasn’t actually scared of Mr. Broody Alpha anymore. He just…he didn't want to hurt Derek’s feelings. As much as the werewolf wanted to appear to be full of nothing but anger and strength and hate, Stiles knew that Derek’s heart was actually very fragile. And pack would always be a touchy subject with him. “So, you told Hannah you consider me pack?”

“Yes,” Derek said, offering nothing more. Okay, Stiles could work with that. One-word answer questions only. He just had to be smart about what he asked. 

“And you told her the truth? You do actually consider me pack?”

“Yes,” Derek replied after a short stretch of silence.

“You didn’t want me to know, did you?” Stiles asked as realization dawned on him, finally understanding why it had taken Derek so long to answer Hannah’s question earlier. “But you also didn’t want to lie to Hannah.”

It took Derek even longer to answer this time, and when he did, his voice was very tight. “Correct.”

“Were you…” Stiles stepped closer as he spoke as softly and gently as he was able, so afraid to hurt Derek and rupture this tenuous grasp on friendship they had. “Were you afraid I’d…reject you? That I’d only ever consider being with Scott?”

Silence reigned for several minutes after that, and Stiles was sure he’d ruined everything. But he needed this answer from Derek, maybe as much as Derek needed to say it – assuming Stiles’s reasoning wasn’t just wishful thinking. Slowly, he reached up to place his hand comfortingly on Derek’s arm, which tensed under his hold, but eventually, the muscles in his arm began to relax. The alpha seemed to be drawing strength from the physical contact, but he still wouldn’t meet the teen’s eyes as he said, “I didn’t want to hear you say those words.”

Oh shit! Derek sounded absolutely wrecked. This subject wasn’t just touchy. It was a fucking minefield, and Stiles could hear just how much it cost Derek to admit that.

“Hey, Derek, it’s okay,” Stiles said, curling his other hand around Derek’s bicep – the closest thing to a hug he was brave enough to attempt. “We’re friends. I care about you. I can totally be an honorary member of your pack.”

“Honorary member of my pack?” Derek’s voiced sounded so very, very lost. Because you were either pack, or you weren’t. There was no in between. But, apparently, in the magical fairyland that was Stiles’s mind, there was, and even better, it had a name…

“Yeah, it’s totally a thing,” Stiles said with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Because, it wasn’t like he was an expert or anything. Yes, he was an awesome researcher, but the internet didn’t always provide him with correct answers. “Okay, we kind of made it a thing after you said that we already were a pack. But in all fairness, Allison and I aren’t wolves, Scott’s not an alpha, and we really didn’t want to jump into anything that involved absolute submission to any one person.”

“So, I did some research, and you know, not all wolves have permanent packs. Like the Ethiopian wolves, they tend to hunt alone and only gather together when the pack territory is threatened. So, we kind of used that as a model. We’re an honorary pack with honorary members who gather when we need to, when there’s a threat or something. It didn’t really change anything. Scott’s still my best friend. Scott and Allison still make sickening googly eyes at each other. Etc, etc.”

“My point is, I can do the same thing for you. I can be there whenever you need me. I said it before, I care about you Derek, and if you want me in your pack, I’m there. I’m not gonna ditch a friend, meaning you, if you need me just because Scott’s still determined to hate you. As long as you don’t ask me to choose between you two, we’re good.”

“What if Scott does?” Derek can’t keep himself from asking. He can’t stop himself, even though he should just accept Stiles’s offer. It’s far less than what he wants, but it’s also far more than he ever expected. He really should just keep his mouth shut and be grateful that the teen wasn’t flat out rejecting him, but nope, Derek’s wolf needed more, especially now that it was possible to hope for more.

“What if Scott does what?” Stiles asked, honestly confused.

“Asks you to choose.”

“Then, I won’t.”

“Won’t what?” Derek asked, not daring to believe what he hopes the human means by those words.

“I won’t choose,” Stiles answered.

“If Scott asks you to choose between him and me,” Derek said, not daring to believe his ears. “You won’t? What will you do?”

“I’ll tell Scott to not be a dick and that I’m not abandoning a friend just because you two can’t get over yourselves long enough to try and get along,” Stiles answered. “As Scott’s best friend, it’s my job to tell him when he’s being a dick. And I already tell you anyway, but now that I’m officially honorary pack, you can’t threaten me with bodily harm for doing so.”

Derek sighed at those words, but he kept his mouth shut this time. Stiles didn’t get it. He really, really didn’t get it. To the human teen, they were just friends, but pack was so much more than that. Pack was family…more than family is some cases. Nothing had changed with Scott and Stiles when they put together their “honorary pack” because the two teens already considered themselves brothers.

But with Derek, it was different. To Derek, Stiles was more than just a friend, and his wolf whimpered a bit at the idea of an “honorary” pack member. Still, he was willing to accept it, accept Stiles as pack in any capacity the teen offered himself, because now that he hadn’t been outright rejected, Derek needed Stiles to acknowledge his place as a part of Derek’s pack.

“Member of the pack or not,” Derek said, trying to keep the desperation he felt hidden. “I can still rip your throat out…with my teeth.”

“Oh my god! You made a joke!” Stiles grinned triumphantly as he pumped a fist in the air. “You totally accept me as part of the pack.”

Groaning, Derek wondered how the hell his life had gotten to the point where Stiles, of all people, was pack. Well, he was actually truly grateful for that, but no one else needed to know that. And either way, Derek needed a break. It was time for Stiles to leave. So, he gently pushed the human toward the loft door, but nothing was ever that easy with Stiles.

“Wait, wait, wait,” Stiles started flailing wildly in his attempt to stop the Alpha from throwing him out.

“Stiles,” Derek growled out, but it sounded of frustration, not of anger or threats.

“I swear it’s important,” the teen said, sighing and sagging with relief when the werewolf stopped pushing. “I wanted to talk about Hannah.”

Glancing at the clock, Derek noted it was just passed eleven. Okay, it was earlier than he’d thought it was. God, the conversation about pack had seemed to last a hell of a lot longer than half an hour. Still, that meant there was more time to humor Stiles before he had to go. At this point, Derek just really wanted to go to bed, but it might be easier in the long run to just deal with him now. So he asked, “What about Hannah?”

“Just about how you’re going to treat her,” Stiles rushed the words out, like he was afraid to say them and had to force them out before he convinced himself otherwise. “Not that I think you’re going to treat her badly or anything. Just, with buying things like presents…”

Then, he just stopped, courage apparently failing him. Derek raised a single eyebrow (which Stiles would forever swear was seriously judging him) and pondered how to respond to that. He thought he knew where Stiles was trying to go with this, but he wasn’t completely sure either.

“As much as I would love to buy her enough toys to fill an ocean,” Derek said. “I’m not going to. I don’t want her to think I’m trying to buy her love. There are other, better ways to show her that I care. Is that what you’re trying to get at?”

“Yeah,” Stiles mumbled under his breath, fidgeting nervously under the weight of Derek’s stare. “Before things got really, really bad with…when Scott and I were still kids…little kids…Scott’s dad….well, he tried to, and Scott never really wanted any of it, never touched most of it. And every new gift broke his heart a little more, especially the ones that came in the mail rather than with a five or ten minute visit…”

“Look, I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy Hannah presents. God knows I’ll probably show up here with something stupid in a few days. I want her to have things, but I know what she wants most is you. And I want her to know she has you. I don’t want her to ever think she might not get to keep you…so, maybe, just go easy on the toys for a while.”

Stiles stopped talking and then wanted to punch himself. He was so concerned for Hannah, he’d forgotten about Derek. Derek, the guy who knew better than anyone about wanting someone there. He’d lost his whole family! So, were than any convenient, nearby holes where he could just crawl in and bury himself?

Despite his weariness, Derek managed to crack a smile when he sensed Stiles’s discomfort. The teen smelled of embarrassment and fear – probably thought the werewolf was going to slam him into the nearest wall. The idea was tempting, but Stiles was lucky that Derek was in such a forgiving mood. At this point, he really just wanted to curl up with Hannah, and besides, Stiles had only voiced concerns Derek had already thought of. So, he wasn’t too annoyed with the teen.

“There are things she needs…like a bed and more clothes,” Derek said with a sad glance at Hannah’s extremely small piles of belongings. “I was going to take her shopping tomorrow and let her pick out whatever kind she wanted of all the things she needs. Like if she wants a bright pink princess bed, I’ll buy her a bright pink princess bed. I figured that would be a good compromise. I get to buy her things she wants, and since they’re also necessities, they can’t be misinterpreted as meaningless gestures. She might be too young to understand that concept, but she definitely won’t think I’m trying to buy her love.”

“Okay, yeah,” Stiles said, finally letting out a yawn of his own. Now that tings were starting to get well and truly settled, the day was starting to catch up with him. “That sounds good…y’know, I didn’t really expect an answer. I was thinking at most, a growl.”

Derek just glared at him.

“Shutting up now…Not. I get it. Grateful for my help with Hannah equals Give annoying human boy answers. Don’t get used to it, right?”

Derek sighted this time and successfully managed to push Stiles out of the loft. Despite his annoyance with Stiles’s last comment, the werewolf was gentle about it and said in a friendly-for-Derek tone, “Good night Stiles. Isaac is outside, waiting to take you home.”

After that, he shut and locked the door before heading straight to his room. Once there, he curled up with Hannah in bed and fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr [here](http://tenten32158.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Possible trigger: Kate put her in daughter in a really, really horrible school, the kind that basically psychologically tortured children in the name of discipline.
> 
> This began as a chaptered story, but it's just not working out that way. So, I decided to make it a series of one-shots.
> 
> The next installment in this series will explain the box.
> 
> If you enjoyed this work, please kudo, comment, subscribe, and/or bookmark it.


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